Check valve for well pumps



May 12, 1942- R. M. M CLURE CHECK VALVE FOR WELL PUMPS Filed April 5,1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor A ltomey May 12, 1942.

I R.. M. MCCLURE Filed April 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v a .4, E M 6% I/Z i l k I v Inventor V --7Za er MI.M are fl/ Patented may 12, 1942 iUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I r 2,283,078 r CHECK VALVE FOR WELL PUMPSRoger M. McClure, Delaware, Okla. Application Apri -5, 1940, Serial-No.328,136

1 Claim. (Cl.103-202)' This invention relates to an oil well pumpworking barrel trap and cup saver, and has for the primary object theprovision of a device of this character which will materially prolongthe period of operation of the pump before it is necessary to makerepairs thereto and thus reduce maintenance cost.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means to preventforeign matter which may fall downwardly from above the working barrelfrom entering the latter as well as preventing materials such as sand,scale or the like which has been expelled from the working barrel alongwith fiuidfrom returning to said working barrel and thus eliminate Wearto the valves, cups and the like of the working barrel.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a packer .for thestem of the pump plunger which will prevent the passing of fluid aboutthe stem and its guide and thereby reduce to a minimum unmarketable cutoil from the well.

With'these and other objects in view, the invention consistsin certain'novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure1.is a vertical sectional view illustrating an oil well pump Workingbarrel, trap and cup saver constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a portion of theworking barrel.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3' of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary exploded vertical sectional view illustratinga coupler employed for detachably connecting the pump plunger stem tothe sucker rod.

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating a check valve.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating the checkvalve and its seat and a packer connected thereto.

Figure .7 is a sectional view taken on the line 'l-| of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating amodification of this invention.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section,illustrating a part of the working barrel or pump cylinder used in themodification.

Referring in' detail tothe drawings, the numeral 5 indicates apumpcylinder or working barrel in which is reciprocally mounted a pumpplungert including a stem 1, traveling valve 8,

1 cup assembly 9 and a removable head It]; These cylinder is showndetachably connected to a conventional anchor. I2.

In adapting the present invention'to the pump cylinder or working barrel5 the upper portion r; thereof is provided with external screw threads[3 which are spaced a selected distance below the upper endand thelatter-named end is shaped or beveled to form an internal shoulder 14 onwhichis mounted a check valve assembly l5. a

The assembly. l5 includes 'a body l6 having a reduced neck I! screwthreaded, as shown at 18. The, body and neck have. alignedropen ingsthroughwhichextends thetstem l of the pump plunger 6. The body 16 has ashoulder I9 which rests on the seat [4 to permit the major portion ofthe body IE to be confined in the pump barrel or working cylinder. Thebody I6 has passages 20 therethrough and which open outwardly throughthe end faces of the body, one of said faces providing a seat for acheck valve 2| slidably mounted on the extension or neck I! of the checkvalve assembly. The check valve element 2| includes a tubular portion 22and a substantially conical-shaped portion 23 or which may be termed asa flared skirt providing a flat under face thereto to engage one of theend gdces of the body I6 and act to close the passages A trap formingsleeve 22' has reduced internally screw threaded ends. The sleeve 22 isthreaded onto the pump cylinder or working barrel and projects a limiteddistance thereabove. The sleeve 22' fitting onto the pump cylinderorworking barrel, as shown in Figure 1, forms 'a trap 23' for thecollection of foreign matter and which extends a selected distance belowthe check valve assembly IS.

A packer 25 is threaded on the extension I! of the check valve assemblyand has, the pump of the stem 1 of the pump plunger to a sucker rod 28.The coupler 21 includes a socketed member 23 internally screw threadedand provided at one end with an externally screw threaded extension 30for threading into a socket 3| carried by the sucker rod 28. The coupler21 further includes an internally screw threaded sleeve 32 acting as alock nut. The socketed member 29 and the sleeve 32 have wrench engagingfaces. The stem 1 is threaded into the socketed member 29 and hasthreaded thereon the sleeve 32 which when turned tightly against thsocketed member 29 will prevent the latter from unthreading from thestem 1.

The packer 25 includes a shell 33, the ends of which are internallyscrew threaded and have threaded therein plugs 34 and 35. The plugs areprovided with aligned openings to permit the stem 1 to extendtherethrough and the extension I1 threads into the plug 35, as clearlyshown in Figure 6, to establish a. detachable connection between thecheck valve assembly and the packer. The body It and extension I! of thecheck valve assembly forms a guide for the stem 1. Packing discs 36 aremounted on thestem' within the shell 33 and are forced tightly againstthe lower plug 35 by a spring influenced follower 38 slidable on the.stem within the shell 33. A coil spring 39 is interposed between thefollower and the upper plug 34 to maintain the packing discs in tightengagement with the stem to prevent leakage of fluid past the stem.

As shown in Figure 8, the present invention may be assembled within apump cylinder 40 and the latter may be connected onto a well tubing orcasing 4| by a sleeve 42. In this construction it will be seen that thetrap 23 is eliminated.

Fromthe foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be seen that the check valve assembly located in theupper end of .the pump cylinder or working barrelwillprevent foreignmatter that-may fall downwardly fromthe wellcasing from entering thepump cylinder or working barrel, such foreign matter will accumulatewithin the trap 23. Also, it will be seen that any foreign matterbrought up with the fluid by the operation of the pump plunger afterpassing through the check valve assembly may settle down into the trap23 and be prevented from returning to the pump cylinder or workingbarrel through the arrangement of the check valve assembly, consequentlykeeping the pump barrel or working cylinder free of foreign matter so asto eliminate undue wear thereon as well as on the cups and valves of theplunger. The packer connected to-the check valve assembly will preventfluid from following along the stem 1 and producing cut oil when wearoccurs to the body l6 and extension ll of the check valve assembly.

It is believed that the foregoing description, when taken in connectionwith the drawings will fully set forth the construction and advantagesof this invention to those skilled in the art to which such adevice-relates, so that further detailed description will not berequired.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

In a device of the class described, a check valve plug shaped bodysnugly fitted in a pump barrel and having a flange-on its upper edgeresting on the'upper end of a section of the barrel, said body includinga fiat seat at its upper end and a plurality of fluid passages openingthrough said seat from theopposite end of' saidbody and a centralpassage and a sleeve integral with the seat and aligning with thelatter-named passage, said central passage and sleeve coacting toslidably support a reciprocal plunger stem throughout the length ofthe-body and sleeve, a valve element slidableon said sleeve andincluding a flat face tocoact with the seat in closing said fluidpassages, and a packing member slidably receiving the stem and threadedon the sleeve and supported against movement with the stem by said body.

"ROGER Ml MCCLURE.

